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In 1960 the GY-80 Horizon 180hp tourer appeared. This single-engined machine won the Cannes International Grand Prix in 1966, beating the highest performance twins of the time by covering in 23 h of flight a distance of 3443 mile at 152 mph average (5540 km at 245 kph). The Horizon had a run of 270 in France, Aerospatiale having ac-quired the production licence, but its succes-sor the GY-100 in 1969 was never produced commercially.

One of SOCATA’s first products was the four-seat GY.80 Horizon under licence. The type first flew in July 1960 and is of all-metal construction with standard low-wing monoplane configuration and full span Fowler-type flaps and Frise-type ailerons. All three tricycle landing gear units retract to the rear and leave their wheels partially exposed. The first 75 aircraft have the 119-kW (160 hp) O-320-D engine driving a fixed-pitch two-blade wooden propeller, later aircraft having more power and a constant speed three-blade propeller. Production of 260 aircraft last to 1969.